KARACHI:Every 5th death in Sindh is caused by Hepatitis B and C or their complications where 20 to 25 percent population is infected with the deadly viral disease while in some areas of the province including Gadap and Kathore near Karachi and coastal areas of Sindh, around 30 to 35 percent people have been found infected with viral hepatitis, consultant hepatologists and gastroenterologists said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a consultative meeting to observe the World Digestive Health Day 2018 (WDHD 18) organised by Pakistan GI and Liver Diseases (PGLDS) here at a local hotel, leading gastroenterologists and hepatologists said it is estimated that at least 20 million people in Pakistan are infected with Hepatitis B and C, which amounts to 10 percent of the population but in Sindh province, the ratio of people with viral hepatitis is very high.
“World Health Organization (WHO) has set the target of elimination of Hepatitis B and C from the world by 2030 but keeping in view the state of affairs in Pakistan, especially in Sindh, it seems to be a far cry. Government and private sector would have to make collaborative efforts on war-footing basis to contain and eradicate this menace as it is easy to screen, diagnose and treat viral hepatitis these days”, said Dr Shahid Ahmed, consultant Gastroenterologist and Patron of PGLDS in his presentation.
Dr Shahid Ahmed maintained that thousands of people were annually dying in the prime years of their age in Sindh, whose lives could be saved by proper screening and treatment, which is now very cost-effective, easy and in the financial range of most of the people in Pakistan.
“Most of the patients of viral hepatitis never know about their disease until its gets into chronic stage and badly damages their livers. If screened and diagnosed earlier, these patients can be properly treated and viruses of Hepatitis B and C can be eliminated from their bodies”, he maintained.
Dr Shahid Ahmed offered complete support of the PGLDS in elimination of Hepatitis B and C from Sindh, saying Sindh health department could seek their support and collaboration in elimination of the viral disease. “We have hundreds of consultants and postgraduates as our members who are working in entire Sindh.
President of the PGLDS Dr Sajjad Jamil said Pakistan had the second highest number of viral hepatitis patients after China but added that China reduced the number of Hepatitis B patients to only 1 percent through affective vaccination while in Pakistan, nobody knows the actual number of Hepatitis patients.
“Screening, diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis B and C is now very easy and cost-effective in Pakistan. Tablets are available which can cure this disease upto 99 percent while these drugs also have very little side effects”, he said and added that real challenge was knowing the actual number of infected people and convincing them to get treated.
Gastroenterologist, Dr Lubna Kamanai, demanded the government to seek Hepatitis Screening Certificate at the time of issuance of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) to citizens so that government could know the actual number of patients infected with viral hepatitis in the country.
She also asked the government to arrange free of charge screening of Hepatitis B and C in Pakistan so that people could know about their disease as in most of the cases, people were not aware that they were infected with deadly viral disease till they become chronic patients.
Dr Amanullah Abbassi claimed that Sindh government had not winded up the Hepatitis Control Program, saying health department had involved Agha Khan Hospital and other NGOs to work for elimination of viral hepatitis from the province.